The kitchen is often the heart of the household and since we have to eat to survive, this is one of the most important rooms in your home to keep clean. This means not only the countertops, dishes, and table where we eat, but also the inside of the refrigerator where we keep our food. We should pay special attention to what we take into our bodies, since foods that have become contaminated can make the strongest of us deathly ill.
So, just exactly what foods do we need to throw away? Well, not all foods that are outdated need to be thrown out. Most of the time the expiration date refers to the date that the grocery store has to sell the item by, not necessarily the date that it needs to be consumed by. Many items will remain safe to eat for months after their expiration dates, as long as the seal on them has not been broken. Once the seal has been broken, though, these items will go bad just like anything else.
Once an item has had its seal broken, it is exposed to mold spores, bacteria, viruses, and other hazards in the household. Keeping the inside of your refrigerator cleaned out can help reduce this, but the threat will always be there. Almost anything that you find in the refrigerator that has become molded needs to be thrown away, but a couple of things are fine as long as you cut off the molded parts and a generous portion around them. This includes dense items that do not contain a high moisture content, like hard salami and blocks of cheese. Items that have a lot of moisture, like jams, jellies, sour cream, mayonnaise, and etcetera cannot be saved. Do not consume these items under any circumstances.
Fruits and vegetables that become molded usually need to be thrown away, as well. Keep a check on your produce supply to make sure that one bad item does not contaminate the rest. Mold spreads fairly quickly over these and it needs to remain monitored or you will have wasted a good sum of money on fresh produce for nothing. Never buy more than you will consume within the next few days.
Cleaning out your refrigerator at least once every few months is advised to keep bacteria from building up inside it. This can be a chore that your kids can do, but only if you show them how to do is properly first. If not done correctly, it might as well not have been done at all.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Miami water Damage companies.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Plumbing and Mold Issues for New Home Builders
When you are having a contractor build your home, there are a few things that you need to do before they begin the project.
The first thing on the list is to find a contractor that you think that you can trust. Finding one through the phone book is not an entirely bad idea, but asking around can be more beneficial. You can use the phone book to do this or ask friends for the name of a good contractor, you will still want to get at least three different contractors on a list of those that you are considering. Make sure they all three get the same set of building plans so they are all bidding on the same project.
When looking at the bids that you have received, be wary of a bid that is significantly lower than the others. This may be a sign of inexperience or desperation. While desperation is not necessarily a bad thing, inexperience is your enemy and you need to avoid hiring an inexperienced contractor. Consider the lowest offer, but do a good amount of research on the contractor first. Get more references from him than for the higher offers to ensure that he is experienced and will do a good job.
No matter which contractor that you choose from your list, you need to visit the job site as often as possible to ensure that your new home is being built correctly and is completely up to your local building codes. Building codes vary from state to state and even city to city, so be aware that a building inspector may come by to make sure it is done correctly. You should also pay good attention to how your contractor is taking care of your building materials. Nothing should ever be stored on the ground, especially wood and drywall. These will mold fairly quickly and the last thing you want is mold built into your brand new home. For best results, have a mold inspector come out to look at the property a few times before the project is completed.
Having an experienced plumber on the job is also very necessary. Bad plumbing in your home can cause water damage that is often very expensive to repair and you never know when a leak will spring up. If a building inspector has not come out to check the property, make sure he or she does to inspect this.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
The first thing on the list is to find a contractor that you think that you can trust. Finding one through the phone book is not an entirely bad idea, but asking around can be more beneficial. You can use the phone book to do this or ask friends for the name of a good contractor, you will still want to get at least three different contractors on a list of those that you are considering. Make sure they all three get the same set of building plans so they are all bidding on the same project.
When looking at the bids that you have received, be wary of a bid that is significantly lower than the others. This may be a sign of inexperience or desperation. While desperation is not necessarily a bad thing, inexperience is your enemy and you need to avoid hiring an inexperienced contractor. Consider the lowest offer, but do a good amount of research on the contractor first. Get more references from him than for the higher offers to ensure that he is experienced and will do a good job.
No matter which contractor that you choose from your list, you need to visit the job site as often as possible to ensure that your new home is being built correctly and is completely up to your local building codes. Building codes vary from state to state and even city to city, so be aware that a building inspector may come by to make sure it is done correctly. You should also pay good attention to how your contractor is taking care of your building materials. Nothing should ever be stored on the ground, especially wood and drywall. These will mold fairly quickly and the last thing you want is mold built into your brand new home. For best results, have a mold inspector come out to look at the property a few times before the project is completed.
Having an experienced plumber on the job is also very necessary. Bad plumbing in your home can cause water damage that is often very expensive to repair and you never know when a leak will spring up. If a building inspector has not come out to check the property, make sure he or she does to inspect this.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold Threatens Home Canned Food
If you have a fair sized garden, odds are pretty good that you know how to can a lot of the things that come out of it. This can include tomatoes, cucumbers, and just about anything you can think of. When you can your food at home out of your own garden, you know exactly what is going into it without having to look on the back of the package. Unfortunately, though, some of the people who can their own vegetables at home are making some mistakes that completely void the benefits of doing this themselves.
Mold likes to grow on anything that is organic and of course, this includes anything that you are canning in your own kitchen. But, canning your own food is completely safe and you will not run into any mold contamination issues after the jars are sealed, right..? Wrong!
Before beginning the canning process, you need to make sure that you are using only the best samples from your garden. If there are any fruits or vegetables that you are unsure about, do not use them. One bad vegetable or fruit will cause the whole batch to be bad.
Sterilize everything. This includes the jars and everything the food is going to come into contact with. You can sterilize the jars by filling them and the pot they are in with hot water and heating it to boiling. Bring the temperature of the water up gradually and do not insert a jar into water that is already boiling. They should stand upright with water inside them.
You should also not pack things too tightly inside the jars. This can keep the food in the middle from reaching a sterilizing temperature and can leave microorganisms such as bacteria and mold spores alive. After you pack the jars full of whatever you want to can, you need to begin the processing immediately. Do not use old jars and lids for this, because they may not seal entirely.
Any jars that are found to have mold growing in them need to be thrown out. This food is no longer safe to eat, even if you take what appears to be the only molded part out.
After the processing bit is over with, you should store these in an area away from heat and sunlight. They should be let to cool naturally.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Mold likes to grow on anything that is organic and of course, this includes anything that you are canning in your own kitchen. But, canning your own food is completely safe and you will not run into any mold contamination issues after the jars are sealed, right..? Wrong!
Before beginning the canning process, you need to make sure that you are using only the best samples from your garden. If there are any fruits or vegetables that you are unsure about, do not use them. One bad vegetable or fruit will cause the whole batch to be bad.
Sterilize everything. This includes the jars and everything the food is going to come into contact with. You can sterilize the jars by filling them and the pot they are in with hot water and heating it to boiling. Bring the temperature of the water up gradually and do not insert a jar into water that is already boiling. They should stand upright with water inside them.
You should also not pack things too tightly inside the jars. This can keep the food in the middle from reaching a sterilizing temperature and can leave microorganisms such as bacteria and mold spores alive. After you pack the jars full of whatever you want to can, you need to begin the processing immediately. Do not use old jars and lids for this, because they may not seal entirely.
Any jars that are found to have mold growing in them need to be thrown out. This food is no longer safe to eat, even if you take what appears to be the only molded part out.
After the processing bit is over with, you should store these in an area away from heat and sunlight. They should be let to cool naturally.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
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